SHENYANG, China _ North Korea has expressed an intention to attend the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, Chinese media reported Sunday.
North Korean Prime Minister Kim Young-il has sent a letter to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, saying that his country will attend the Expo, scheduled to run from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2010, according to the reports.
Pyongyang's attendance will raise the total number of participants in the Shanghai exposition to 149 countries and 8 international organizations.
The World Expo is a global non-commercial exposition aimed at promoting culture, science and technology exchanges.
The Shanghai Expo will be the first registered World Exposition to be held in a developing country, according to the Shanghai Expo Web site.